A move north: Two years after reopening a historic 1886 restaurant, Santa Barbara County wine country chef Robbie Wilson has traveled north for a new venture: Bird Dog, in Palo Alto. Wilson, wife Emily Perry Wilson and local partners took over the former Mandarin Gourmet on Ramona Street and gave it a sleek, hip remake. It”s a sleek menu approach, too, one that combines French technique and Japanese minimalism, reflecting Wilson”s training in France and his work in the kitchens of Thomas Keller and Nobu Matsuhisa. Inaugural dishes include Wagyu rib-eye served with Meyer lemon kosho (chile paste), a red peanut romesco sauce and smoked butter; a za”atar-spiced eggplant dish with quark; and a variation on a signature appetizer at his Mattei”s Tavern in Los Olivos, grilled avocado paired with rangpur lime, tamari and fresh wasabi. Dinner is served nightly; www.birddogpa.com.

Smoking in San Ramon: Chef Rodney Worth”s East Bay restaurant empire is expanding, but his newest venture doesn”t have a signature “Pear” in its name. And if there are pears on-site, they”d probably be in a barbecue sauce or a cobbler. When it opens this month, his Worth Ranch California BBQ and Saloon in San Ramon will serve barbecue brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork and tri-tip, along with fried chicken, catfish and barbecue oysters. Worth”s current restaurant lineup includes the Little Pear, the Prickly Pear Cantina and the Peasant and the Pear, all in Danville; the Pear Southern Bistro in Napa; Ferrari”s Cucina Italiana in Blackhawk; and the Peasant”s Courtyard in Alamo.

Truffle time: With the Dungeness season on hold, crab lovers may be looking for substitutes. This one isn”t in the seafood family, but it sure counts as a decadent treat. White truffles have arrived from northern Italy, and at least two area restaurants have designed menus around them. At Donato Enoteca in Redwood City, chef-owner Donato Scotti is offering a raviolo starter, risotto and white veal loin with truffled sauces; they”re available a la carte or in prix fixe meals. And in Oakland, Oliveto”s Bob Klein has announced Nov. 17-20 dates for his annual truffle dinners featuring shavings of the aromatic fungus atop house-aged steak, pasta and more. In both cases, make reservations quickly; it”s expected to be a short truffle season.

Market watch: Oregon-based natural grocer New Seasons Market, which planted its first California flag in San Jose”s Evergreen/Silver Creek area, plans to open stores in Sunnyvale on El Camino Real and in the Emeryville Public Market. Look for the former to be built out by late 2016, the latter not until 2017. New Seasons is the parent company of New Leaf Community Markets, founded in Santa Cruz.

And Oakland will be the home of the 14th Bay Area store in the Sprouts Farmers Market chain, known for its produce and variety of nuts, spices and candies that you can purchase in bulk. The opening at 30th and Broadway is set for January.